SmartHOME Center Helps Open Renovated House

Six months ago, the house at 3613 Judy St. in the Trenholm Acres neighborhood of Northeast
Columbia was boarded up and in dilapidated condition. But instead of demolition, the
house received a complete renovation thanks to a collaboration involving the University
of South Carolina’s SmartHOME Center.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the completion of the home renovation were held on Friday,
Nov. 16. The renovation was part of the SC UpLift Community Outreach Legacy Home Renovation Project for Older Adults. In addition to SC UpLift and UofSC
SmartHOME, the collaborative effort included the Richland County Community Development
and Palmetto Health.

College of Social Work Assistant Professor Shaun Owens is the director for strategy and innovation for UofSC SmartHOME. The center is focused
on helping older adults remain healthy and independent by developing technologies
that enable individuals to remain at home with adequate support and advance the quality
of life for South Carolinians.

“Walking into the house today was very inspirational, and I thought, ‘Wow, we made
this happen and turned a concept into reality,’” said Owens. “Back in May, this dilapidated
property seemed to have no promise. But instead, we took what we thought was a promising
project and turned it into a gem. It’s a testament to what we can achieve when we
work together with others.”

SC UpLift Legacy Home for Older Adults is a universal designed two-bedroom, one-bath
home designated as an affordable senior rental property. The home features multiple
technologies enabling an older adult to age in place with features such as, energy
efficiency appliances, anti-fatigue flooring to prevent fall-related injuries, and
a security and automation system. A telehealth system allows the homeowner to be connected
live via a smart TV with a Palmetto Health physician within 15 minutes. In addition,
the home will be wired to incorporate future technologies.

The home is currently available for occupancy to a senior age 62 or older whose income
is 60 percent or below Area Median Income. SC UpLift Community Outreach is a federally
exempt community development corporation providing affordable housing for low to moderate
income individuals and families.

“At our groundbreaking ceremony in May, this was an eyesore and a boarded up uninhabitable
home,” said Kevin Wimberly, Founder and CEO of SC UpLift. “It was on the list to be
demolished but through the work of the Richland County Community Development and Richland
County Code Enforcement, we were able to take a lemon of a home off the demolition
list and make lemonade.”

According to Owens, this is the first time UofSC SmartHOME collaborated with SC Uplift.
There was some previous community-based research, but they had never worked with another
organization to develop a large-scale project.

“This will not be the last time we will work with SC Uplift to renovate a house, especially
seeing what we are capable of now,” said Owens. “This model will also show others
what is possible.”